Gusion nodded in understanding to his platonic fianceé. He seemed slightly envious of the Death Chanter still. Guinevere was somewhat checking the demon hunter out earlier. Gusion wished it was only his imagination.
Guinevere flinched into a defensive stance right when she saw a blonde headed figure absconding about in the other side of the mid lane open like a lost bunny. "There's Alucard." She told Gusion who managed to follow her gaze.
"I can handle him from here, milady."
Guinevere scoffed. "Don't act so chivalrous now. Remember that teamwork is key in this battle if we want to win, and I need us to win." Suddenly, Guinevere's fearless grin became a frown as she added in a whisper, "I don't want to go back to that life of enslaved royalty. Never again will I be controlled like a puppet."
Gusion eyes her wearily. He remembered her denial earlier. Perhaps their engagement is the reason why she ran away, not just her tyrannical parents.
"I can take Alucard." Gusion repeated. "Go hide. Though you should watch out for that ninja, he looks very cunning."
"Break a leg, Gus." Guinevere said before they divide into different paths. Guinevere heads for the jungle while Gusion to fight with Alucard.
In the middle lane, Lancelot was having a difficult time killing off Granger. His escapes were slow but his shots were agonizingly decreasing his health.
"You were that servant boy my sister and I played tag with back then, weren't you?" Lancelot mocked tauntingly in hopes of keeping him distracted. "My, have you grown up to be quite an emo."
The more Lancelot criticizes Granger, Granger seemed to be unnaffected and it just increases his ability and urge to finish Lancelot off.
"Aren't you an orphan?" Lancelot continued his bullying. "You lost your parents to the War and that's why you chose to be a psychotic demon hunter rather a lousy servant? Ha! Such cliché."
"You will never know the feeling of losing your parents for your parents probably never loved you in the first place." The Death Chanter finally talked back, and it brought a malevolent grin across the Knight's face.
Lancelot cursed the ground where Granger stood with his triangle of torture, never closing his mouth. "You would've been the one to marry my sister and you wouldn't be as lonely as you are now!"
Granger leaped with marvelous speed away from the triangle and suppressed fire, surprisingly knocking Lancelot down, badly injured whilst he remains unhurt.
"I don't love Guinevere nor do I like her." Granger hissed, now standing before him in triumph. "She never meant anything to me in the first place."
"Blast your arrogance!" Lancelot huffed.
Granger planted the tongue of his revolver on the man's forehead, ready to plant a bullet through his head. "Any last words?"
"You are such an emo!" Guinevere jumps out of a nearby massive rock, kicking the gun away from Granger's possession. In one powerful spinning kick, he's thrown meters away to a decaying wall like a cannon ball. The wall collapsed from his hard impact, burying him whole.
"Still a fighter, I see." Lancelot said with a proud smile.
Just when they were about to celebrate their victory, Hayabusa appeared in the wrong timing, ending Lance's life and subtracting a great half of Guinevere's health.
"No!" Guinevere groaned, maddened by the ambush.
Granger woke up from his temporary tomb, making Guinevere's anxiety rise onto levels of insanity. The sound of debris being multiplied into bits fades out when a melancholic melody begins to play. It was now the only thing she could hear and it made her scared for her life.
The melody was like a switch. It had made her reminisced about the most saddest and nostalgicdays she wished she could revisit. Becoming lost in his trap, Guinevere couldn't think of an escape plan for memories from her childhood flooded her mind, causing a ruckus hurricane.
"I... I shouldn't let myself... Be fooled!" She was able to utter before she sees an all-too familiar figure approaching. The last thing she saw was a gun pointed at her before she's transported to a short oblivion.
⚜️⚜️⚜️
When the fight had ended and Granger's team won, Lancelot had no say and left quickly for the Southern Mountains, unable to care of what was going to happen to his sister after.
Gusion was cuffed from the back with an unbreakable spell-casted handcuff and leash which both could only be opened by it's the summoner of the spell. And as for Guinevere to remain docile throughout their whole return to the Empire's Capitol, Granger had given her one of his strongest spells. It was Snow White's Slumber, a permanent spell that couldn't be ridden by anyone unless by True Love's kiss.
Granger thought she would be better unconscious for the whole journey so she wouldn't cause any trouble. But even unconscious, just by glancing at her peacefully sleeping face troubles him. So he places her in a breathable coffin that floats mid air and would remain at his side wherever he would go.
"Do you want the Baroques to lose their minds or something?" Alucard laughed.
"You monster! You'll pay for what you've done to her." Gusion argued. Granger gave him an ominous glare but said none.
"Though we don't want them to think she's dead, Granger." Alucard added humorlessly. "They might give us less of the actual amount."
"I'll wake her up when we arrive." Replied the Death Chanter. "But for now, she's better off dead."
⚜️⚜️⚜️
They have now left the Celestial Palace and arrived at the Western Expanse. Fortunately it was night time, meaning they wouldn't have to deal with dehydration and the scorching sun being above them all day.
Alucard decided it would be best to call it a night and rent a cottage. The cottage was small and there were only two bedrooms maximum. Alucard thought they should divide themselves into two pairs, each Hunter would have one hostage to bunk with.
"Since you don't trust me well enough to spend the whole night with an unconscious and a fine young lady, then you shall sleep with her." Alucard decided. " Lest, not really sleep with her but-"
"I get it now shut up." Granger cuts him off guard. "I'll place the Paxley boy in a sleeping spell that would last for the whole night. But make sure to wake up before he does or I won't forgive you."
"You're talking as if you're the eldest among us both." Alucard complained. He emits a yawn that would end their conversation for the night.
After placing the sleeping spell on Gusion, Granger entered his bedroom. The coffin is placed on the far right with one slow and steady wave of his finger. Once Granger took his weapons and coat off, he relaxes into his bed and enters a heavy slumber.
⚜️⚜️⚜️
Little Guinevere's squeaky laughs echoed throughout the castle halls, sounding like the trumpets of angels.
"Gwen?" Little Granger called out as he run across the carpeted floors, resounding her laugh. "I'm going to catch you!"
Abruptly, the atmosphere becomes dark and gloomy when the chandeliers began to swing rapidly and their candles' lights flickered off.
The fresh image of his late parents appeared out of nowhere, causing the little boy to look horrified. Wounds began to form on their flesh and blood dropped in vast volume.
"My son, your mother and I want you to live." His father's voice later on emerged. "Even if we are not going to be around anymore, you should stay alive and wait for the Gods to take you in their own accord. We love you so much, to hell and back."